


Broken: From the ashes

by Midnyghtchilde



Series: Brick's Commonwealth [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout - Fandom, Fallout 4
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Other, Post-Canon, Romance, Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-17 18:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5881846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnyghtchilde/pseuds/Midnyghtchilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Broken. I highly recommend starting there.<br/>SPOILERS to Fallout 4's main quest line</p><p>Two years have passed since the fall of the Institute. While plenty of the Institute’s citizens who escaped thanks to Bric's evacuation alarm before the blast have tried to integrate back into the world above ground, a faction is rising from the ruins. And they are bent on revenge against Bric and her friends. Can Bric stop them from lashing out at the people of the Commonwealth and stay alive without losing the people she loves?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, here you lovelies. 
> 
> This popped into my head and demanded to be written. I have a plan. I can't promise regular updates. It'll likely be shorter than the novel-length Broken. All original storyline. 
> 
> You can find me on Twitter @midnyghtchilde if you'd like

“You’d think they’d get smarter.” Bric said, as she bent down, rifling through the dead raiders pockets for anything of use. While the Gunners has grown stronger in the past year, a reaction to the growing strength of the Minute Men, the average raider seemed, well, dumber than usual.

“If they were, they’d have joined the Gunners.” Hancock drawled with a shrug. He lit up a post-combat cigarette, and lazily blew a ring of smoke towards the sky.

“Good point.” Bric came up with a fistful of caps and some stray ammunition bits, and not much else. The attack had been small, a half a dozen poorly-armed raiders with a half-assed trap set on the main road through Lexington. They were disorganized, and Bric guessed they had been hopped up on a decent amount of Pyscho too by their erratic actions.

 _Has it really been almost four year since I was like them?_ She wondered.

They headed back towards Good Neighbor, swinging wide to avoid the areas scorched and irradiated by the demise of the Institute. As they crossed the river on the tall interstate overpass, Brick felt her ankle catch a tripwire just as she was mid-step.

With a curse, Brick turned around and threw herself to the ground. Hancock saw her, heard the click of the tripwire as it was pulled, and followed suit.

The explosion rocked the bridge, and the blast wave finished the action Bric and Hancock had started – knocking them into the hard concrete.

“Goddamnit!” Bric muttered as she pushed herself up onto her knees. Her cheek stung from kissing the pavement, and her hands were scraped, but she was lucky that was all there was. Mysterious immortality serum from the Cabot house or no, blown to bits in an explosion wasn’t how she wanted to die.

“You ok doll?” Hancock said as he stood up. Behind them a pile of ruined vehicles smoldered, flames dancing as they died out.

“Yeah.” Bric stood, wiping her bleeding hands off on her pants. She glanced back at the smoking wreckage. “I thought this bridge was cleared.”

“So did I.”

Bric glanced around, alert for any follow up attack as her ears continued to ring. _Was it just random chance?_ She wondered. When no bullets whizzed by, and no raiders appeared, she grew uneasy. “Let’s go.” She said, meeting Hancock’s eyes and finding the same concern there beneath furrowed hairless brows.

From the half-destroyed skyscraper at the northern end of the overpass, through the sights of her scope, the operative watched the duo as they picked themselves up. Somehow the pre-war woman had pulled the Minutemen up from their ashes, and with her ghoul lover destroyed the Brotherhood and the Institute within months of each other. It didn't make sense. It shouldn't have been possible. But she had done it. The operative hadn’t expected the blast to actually kill them, but it was a test. Their reaction times were good, they were suspicious, and they worked together. But they'd had years of teamwork in and out of combat, so she wasn't surprised.The operative straightened, pulling back from her scope to watch the two tiny figures leave in the distance with a sly grin dancing on dark lips.

This was going to be a challenge.

 


	2. Old flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visit brings up the past

Hancock leaned back in his chair, boots up on his desk and ankles crossed. His jacket was on the back of his chair, and he wore a plain dress shirt and pants, but the flag belt was still snug across his hips. His dark eyes slid from the terminal over to Bric. She was sprawled out on the newly-recovered couch reading a book. He watched her a moment, thumb idly playing with the simple gold band on his ring finger, spinning it around. He admired her curves, immediately noting the patch of pale skin peeking beneath her wrinkled t-shirt from how she was comfortably sprawled, head propped on the armrest.

With MacCready in charge of Sanctuary (with Cait’s help anyways), the Minute Men staffing regular patrols of the most common routes, and Diamond City having just finished holding an election, she had time to relax. Bric didn’t hold any offices or have any particular roll in the newly-freed Commonwealth. Not being on call meant she was relaxed, and her long hair was down and she dressed simply in jeans and t-shirt. But, like John, she was never unarmed. She was working on making a school in Good Neighbor, with Daisy’s help, since the town had grown drastically in size.

That growth was the reason John was attempting to do actual Mayoral-type work. And it bored the shit out of him.

Hancock stretched his arms over his head briefly, then stood up. Lost in her book, Bric didn’t react to him standing up and striding over to the couch until he slid his leg between hers and leaned over her.

Bric lifted her book in both hands above her head, brow arched with amusement as she looked up at him. “If you don’t finish that report, Fahrenheit’s going to kill you.”

Fahrenheit was the vice president to Hancock, and Bric was sure she was the only reason Good Neighbor functioned. While Hancock smiled, shook hands, and did the socializing, Fahrenheit did the actual work.

“Nah, only maim me a little.” His trademark smirk danced on his radiation ravaged features as he bent down to kiss her.

“Can you really afford to lose another toe?” Brick laughed before she kissed him. Book still held high, she managed to slide her bookmark into place and close it, then placed it on the floor. Hands freed, she slid them up to the rough sides of John’s neck.

“Eh, who needs all of ‘em?”

“I’m supposed to be the good influence here.” Bric laughed, even as she undid the buttons of his shirt and slid her hands down his chest. She was sure she’d never get tired of the feel of his scars. John had offered once to let her access some Memory Den files – to see him as he was – and she’d vehemently refused. _“I love you the way you are. Besides, I never cared for blondes.” She’d told him with a grin._

“I got news for ya doll.” Hancock chuckled, his other hand warm against the spot of bare skin on her torso as he pushed her shirt up further, trailing his fingers against her side.

There was a sudden commotion at the office door. It flew open, hard enough to slam into the wall with a heavy thud. In dashed a young man, followed closely by Fahrenheit. She grabbed his arm just as he stepped inside and took in the scene: Hancock atop Bric on the couch, chest bared, one leg on the ground, the other on the couch, one hand on her bare torso and the other braced against the back of the couch.

“Damnit kid I told you the Mayor’s busy!” Fahrenheit was pissed. She squeezed the youth’s arm hard, and he winced, grabbing at her hand.

“Let me go!”

“Come on.” The former mercenary started to drag the kid back out of the office. She didn’t react at all the scene at hand, it was pretty much impossible to phase her. And Bric had tried.

Both Bric and Hancock watched with some amusement, not bothering to move.

“No damnit! I need to see John Hancock! He’s the only one who can help me!”

With feline grace Hancock disentangled himself and stood up. Bric sat up, tugging her shirt back down and running her fingers through her hair.

“Well kid, you got my attention.” Hancock drawled, adjusting his hat. “So what is the problem.” With a subtle hand gesture from him, Fahrenheit let got the boys arm and took a step back.

“My Mom’s missing, and my sister went after her.” He straightened up, trying to look important. Bric guessed he was around 12-13 years old. A messy mop of sandy brown hair was clean, but his clothes were not. They were in decent shape though, and he even had a small pistol and knife on his belt.

 _“Welcome to the Commonwealth, where we still arm our children.”_ Bric though.

“I still don’t see what that has to do with me kid.” Hancock’s hands fell to his hips, and he waited for more information. He still hadn’t bothered to button his shirt back up.

“She said if anything happened to her we were supposed to find you. But my sister didn’t want to wait and she went after her herself.” He spoke quickly, words running together.

“Ok hold up.” Hancock held up a hand. “Back up. Who are you?”

The youth took a deep breath. “My name’s Dare. Well, Darren Matthews. My twin sister is Katelyn, but she goes by Lyn. Our mother is Lydia Matthews.”

Hancock was quick to cover his surprise – but Bric saw it. He recognized the name – he knew Lydia.

“That’s all lovely, kid, but it still doesn’t explain how I’m the only one who can help. You try the Minute Men? Kidnappings and missing people are right up their alley.” Hancock said. His hand twitched, reaching instinctively for a cigarette, but they the box was on his desk.

“She…I…” The pre-teen stammered, obviously not having expected this kind of reaction. “She said to find you, that you would help.”

While the he spoke, Bric stood up, and went and grabbed the cigarettes off Hancock’s desk. Wordlessly she handed them to John, standing beside him and studying the boy.

“How old are you kid?” Hancock said as he tapped the box on his hand to get a cigarette from it and started to light it.

“13. What’s that got to do with anything?”

Hancock ignored the question as he finished lighting up. “When did she go missing?”

“A week She said she was scouting a new trade route out west, but she was supposed to be back four days ago. Lyn went after her yesterday, said she wasn’t going to wait. She took all the caps we had and left. Alone.”

Bric glanced at Hancock. “Normally I’d said the Minute men too, but a pre-teen girl on her own in the Commonwealth is up OUR alley.”

He nodded, brows furrowed with a concern far deeper than just a missing trader and her stubborn daughter.

“Please, Mr. Hancock, She said you were the only one she trusted.” The boy looked from John to Bric with pleading blue eyes.

Bric snorted at the ‘Mr.’ part. “We’ll help. Do you know the road she scouting? Where she was intending to get to?”

“Worcester. She said she heard they had a decent sized city coming up there, thought it’d be worth the effort.” Dare’s eyes continued to dart back and forth between the two. He’d heard the stories in the last few days, of the Hero of the Commonwealth and the Mayor of Good Neighbor. “She left us with a family friend in Diamond City, Mrs. Addams, like usual. Please find her? And Lyn?”

Hancock’s brow twitched at the name. He gave a short nod. “Yeah, I’ll look into it. Fahr?” The mercenary stepped forwards.

“Yeah boss?”

“Get him some food, and see if Daisy can give him a room for a few nights ok?”

Fahrenheit nodded. “Got it.”

“Thank you. Thank you!” Dare’s eyes had gone wide with hope now that he’d achieved his mission.

Bric waited until they’d left and she’d heard the front door of the Old Statehouse close before she turned and looked at John.

“Ok, who is he? Who is she?” Hancock opened his mouth to speak, but Bric shook her head. “You know her, I saw it.”

John sighed. “Lydia was a…friend-with-benefits. A very long time ago.” He paused for a moment. “She’s a caravan trader, did some runs between the Capital and here. We were never serious. She didn’t care for chems.”

“How long ago?”

“I don’t know, 14, 15 years?”

They were both quiet for a moment. Bric reached for John’s free hand. The other one held the still burning but half forgotten cigarette.

“Why would she tell her kids to come to you?” She said.

He didn’t respond, considering the entire strange situation.

“He’s 13. You don’t think he could be…” As she spoke John’s eyes flicked to hers and stayed there, full of concern and confusion.

“That he could be mine? That was the first thing I thought.” He said softly.

 

 

~*~

“They have an incredibly high level of coordination, benefiting from the past several years’ worth of combat together combined with their relationship. A complete and instinctual trust allows them to react almost simultaneously.”

The Director drummed his fingers upon the desk as he listened to the report.

“They are well trained and highly experienced. I suspect that even a long-distance shot would succeed in eliminating only one of them. I also suspect that whichever one was left alive would become infinitely more dangerous.”

The Operative completed her report, standing at attention with her hands clasp behind her back.

The Director nodded. “Based upon your ongoing surveillance and knowledge, how do you propose we proceed?”

“The Hero had one Achilles’ heel, Sir. Her friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is less prepared and edited. Most write and post style. I apologize for any grammar and typos - if you find anything jarring please do let me know in the comments!
> 
> And I'm not holding back on that good old drama and angst. Is Dare Hancock's kid? Guess we'll wait and see!


	3. Disappearances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange things happen in the Commonwealth, and a brief flashback to a boy in the fridge.

Piper stood in the Market in Diamond City. She’d just finished a bowl of Takahashi’s delicious noodles, and it was a warm and clear night, so she was reluctant to get back to her office. The city had successfully elected a new Mayor, and things were looking up. They weren’t welcoming ghouls with open arms or anything, but they were at least allowing them into the city.

The downside of course was finding topics to write about with a suspected-synth mayor had gotten far more difficult.

Piper watched the people milling about, enjoying the warm night. She lingered in the square, briefly perusing the wares on display at the ships as she strolled slowly along.

“Hey you got a light?”

Piper looked up, at a tall man she’d not seen around before. It wasn’t unusual, the city was busy – and growing busier every day since Blue had changed everything. “Yeah, sure. I think so.”

Piper looked down at her pocket as she looked for matches or a lighter. Once she did so, the man stepped forwards.

She only felt a sharp stab in the side of her neck followed by a burning sensation.

“What the fu-“ Pipers legs wobbled, and the stranger caught her.

“Hey there, careful.” He said with a laugh. “Think she had a few too many.” He offered to a passerby. Piper couldn’t stand without wavering, and he put her arm around his neck. The world was spinning and her vision blurred, and Piper tried to protest but her words were slurred and incoherent.

~*~

**_6 months ago_ **

_As Bric reached for the door, it flew open. She found herself staring down the double barrels of a shotgun to her surprise._

_“What do you want?” His voice was gruff and defensive. The house was one of the few still standing in the now-marshlands southeast of Quincy. Hancock and Bric were heading to Somerville for a check after having been up with the Atom Cats for a few days._

_“Hey now,” Bric held her hands up, open palmed and placating. “We ain’t lookin’ for trouble. Didn’t think anyone lived out this way.”_

_The man was a ghoul, his dark eyes wrinkled with concern and worry. At her words, he lowered the gun a fraction._

_“What are you doing out here?” Hancock on the other hand, rested one hand atop the stock of his shotgun, coiled with tension in case things went south._

_The man’s eyes flitted past Bric to Hancock with surprise._

_“Honey what are you doing? Who is that?” A female voice came from inside the house. She came up behind him, and clicked her tongue, scolding him “Put that gun down, they don’t look like raiders to me.”_

_“I’m Bric, this is John.” Bric said, gesturing as she spoke. “We were just passing through.”_

_“I’ve heard of you.” He said. He lowered the gun. “Hero of the Commonwealth right?”_

_Bric made a sound of annoyance, nose wrinkling at the title. “Yeah. Just Bric is fine.”_

_“That means you’re that Mayor of Good Neighbor.”_

_“Sure am.” Hancock smirked, posture relaxing once the gun had been lowered. “You’re pretty well informed for folks way out here in the marshes.”_

_“I hear things when I get supplies.”_

_“The Hero?” The woman stepped forwards. “Matt maybe she can help us find Billy!”_

_“Billy?” Bric perked up. “Who is that?”_

_“Our son. He went missing.” Matt said, glancing from Bric to Hancock. “Can you help us?”_

_It took Bric and Hancock a few hours to circle Quincy and stumble upon the missing boy – trapped in an old refrigerator. They’d brought him back, and the Peabody’s had insisted they stay for dinner. After a simple meal, Bric had stepped up to wash the dishes, wanting to return the favor in some small way. John had slipped off, onto the back porch._

_He sat on the steps in the early evening darkness. The red cherry of his cigarette flared as he took a  drag, then lowered it back atop his knee. The boy they’d rescued was a ghoul like his parents, a rarity amongst ghouls. John couldn’t help the pang of jealousy the tiny family made flare in his heart – the parents had been so thrilled to have their son returned. And Bric – his beautiful Bricelyn – had been so damn good with the boy, reassuring him the entire way back. She was good with Nat, Piper’s sister, too._

_Hancock had read, or more often, flipped through, enough of those old magazines from before the war. He could imagine her with a normal life – safe, with a house, and a family, and a job doing…whatever it was people used to do when they didn’t have to fight to survive._

_He heard the water in the house turn off, and took another drag on his cigarette. It would only be a minute before she was out here. He still sometimes struggled to accept this was real – that she loved him and was happy. That this had a future._

_This was one of those times._

_“Hey,” Bric said, as she took a seat on the steps beside him. “What’s on your mind?”_

_Hancock made a noncommittal sound and said nothing._

_“C’mon, you’ve been brooding all day.” She flashed him a half smile – bright in the evening’s darkness._

_Hancock glanced over his shoulder, in the window, at the quaint domestic scene with a sharp pang of regret: Matt and Carol sat on the couch, reading, while Billy played on the floor, and the radio played jazzy tunes from Diamond city’s top hits channel._

_“Don’t you think you deserve that?” He finally said._

_Bric followed his gaze. “Deserve what? A family?”_

_He gave a slight brief nod._

_Bric laughed softly. “I have one. I have you.”_

_Hancock glanced back, finding her eyes. He was confused, and it showed, because a bemused and knowing smile tugged the corner of her lips up._

_“You are my family. You, and Nick, and Aaron, and RJ, and Piper. The family I chose.”_

_He considered that for a moment, as she found his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t you want kids?” John asked._

_“Oh, that’s what this is really about.” Bric said, bemused._

_“I can’t…we can’t ever have that.”_

_“Hey,” He looked away, but Bric touched his cheek, gently turned his face back towards her. Her fingers were warm against his skin, and the contact sent an electric shiver down his spine. “I have zero interest in kids. Honestly. I never did.” She tilted her head, studying his dark eyes. “Do you?”_

_“Never thought about it much.” He took a long drag of cigarette, blowing the smoke carefully skywards, away from her. “Seems like it might be nice, but it isn’t in the cards anymore.”_

_“I’m sorry John.” Bric shrugged, then leaned in and brushed her lips against his in a faint kiss. “Those greeting-card holiday moments aren’t most of the time anyways. Just think of how you get to sleep in and not clean up after toddler body fluids and have cash for chems instead.” A devious smile touched her lips, and she traced her fingertips along the wrinkled skin of his cheek. “They’d be kind of a downer on our style.”_

_Hancock chuckled, “You have a point.” He dropped his butt and ground it out. He slid his hand free of hers and instead put it around her shoulders, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. “Long as you’re happy doll, that’s enough for me.”_

 

~*~

It was the middle of the night, and the banging on his door was incessant – and loud. If Nick was human and needed sleep, he’d be incredibly annoyed. But since he wasn’t, he was still up. He opened the door, and to his surprise Nat was standing there. Her fist failed to freeze mid-strike, and she brought it down on Nick’s chest in place of the door.

“OH! Nick!” She squeaked with surprise, pulling her hand back quickly. “I’m sorry.”

He laughed, “It’s alright kiddo, why aren’t you in bed? Piper will ground you again.” He drawled.

“She’s missing. She didn’t come home yet – she was only supposed to be grabbing dinner.” The youth was almost in a panic. Her eyes were wide with worry and fear. Nat was old enough to know that the Commonwealth wasn’t a nice place.

But it wasn’t like Piper to not show up when she said she would. “Maybe she got side tracked by a story. I’ll good see what I can find. In the meantime you get back to your place and stay there.” Nick turned around, grabbing his battered hat from his desk and placing it atop his head.

Nick checked the central square of Diamond city, which was quiet since it was the middle of the night. Nothing seemed unusual. But he followed his gut, slowly circling the area, and letting his eyes stay soft, looking for any little thing that seemed different.

A faint glint on the ground off to one side caught his eye. Nick bent down and picked up a pen. One of Piper’s fancy metal pens she kept strapped to her glove. _Damn this isn’t good,_ he thought. He looked around for any other signs – but the ground was too hard and if there was a struggle, it wasn’t overly violent.

“Hey, you got a light?” Nick turned to find a slender woman holding out a cigarette.

“Sure thing doll.” He reached in his coat pocket for his lighter.

Then the world went black as someone shoved something hard into his back, and he felt a jolt of electricity course through his metal frame.


	4. Real chapters coming soon

I sort of just realized that it's been ermph, like over 15 days since I updated this. And honestly, I have maybe 2 paragraphs of the next chapter written. I've been in a bit of a funk. BUT I want to finish this. I want to write more. I really really do. Life has just been...dreary right now. I won't host my pity party, but I came in second for a job I super-duper wanted and it crushed me a bit. Then I got rejected from a second job I sort-of-wanted. So I'm in a bit of an oh-god-what-am-I-doing-with-my-life-funk.

So this is my apology to those who have been waiting patiently. Because I know how it goes (And am super-sad that the like 6 fanfics I'm following have all been DOA for 2 months and change, so I can entirely relate!).

My plan is to write the next chapter this weekend and get back on my horse and back to a set schedule of words-per-day goals that I kept up from NaNoWriMo all the way through mid-January before falling off. I'm going to try and set a once-per-week update schedule.

You can still find me on Twitter where I've been hiding and distracting myself if you want to pester me, because yes, **I Should Be Writing**


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